{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]],"date-time":"2025-12-16T11:57:45Z","timestamp":1765886265629,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,8]],"date-time":"2021-04-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1617840000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Several measures aimed at containing the spread of this virus have been recommended by international and nation public health institutions, but whether the influenza vaccine, while not protective against COVID-19, nonetheless reduces disease severity is unclear. This study evaluated the potential role of influenza vaccine in reducing the rate of hospitalization and death in COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 cases recorded in the province of Brindisi (Apulia, Southern Italy) during the first pandemic wave (February\u2013May 2020) and occurring in patients vaccinated with the influenza vaccine during the 2019\u20132020 influenza season were considered. From February 2020 to May 2020, 3872 inhabitants of the province of Brindisi underwent SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing and 664 (8.7%) tested positive. A multivariate analysis showed that among COVID-19 patients neither hospitalization nor death was significantly associated with influenza vaccination (p &gt; 0.05), whereas within this group male sex, older age, and chronic diseases were identified as risk factors for morbidity and mortality. Our study did not show an association between the influenza vaccine and complications of COVID-19. Nonetheless, influenza vaccination must be promoted as a central public health measure, because by reducing the burden on hospitals it can greatly benefit the management of COVID-19 patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines9040358","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,8]],"date-time":"2021-04-08T21:27:44Z","timestamp":1617917264000},"page":"358","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":27,"title":["Influenza Vaccination and Health Outcomes in COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Pasquale Domenico","family":"Pedote","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Epidemiology Unit, Brindisi Local Health Authority, 72015 Fasano, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4194-0210","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefano","family":"Termite","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Public Health Unit, Brindisi Local Health Authority, 72100 Brindisi, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Gigliobianco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Management, Brindisi Local Health Authority, 72100 Brindisi, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Pier Luigi","family":"Lopalco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health, 70100 Apulia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9659-0193","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco Paolo","family":"Bianchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Epidemiology Unit, Brindisi Local Health Authority, 72015 Fasano, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"WHO (2021, January 25). 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